Bernard Matthews, which was bought by the owner of supermarket chicken giant 2 Sisters Food Group in 2016, said its offer would immediately secure the jobs of Banham’s 160 agricultural staff, and that efforts would be made to redeploy the company’s 850 other workers at its three factories in Norfolk and Suffolk and across four other sites in the counties run by 2 Sisters.

But it has suggested that Banham’s factory in Attleborough – where it has been based for almost 60 years – could close as part of the deal.